It’s back! Time for that annual tradition that Detroiters love so much… stuffing our faces with paczki.

What? What is paczki? Haven’t you been reading this blog for the past two years? You haven’t? Ok, then. I’ll let it slide this time and tell you all about paczki.

Paczki is a Polish tradition (although there are other ethnic groups that have the same thing, including us Ukrainians). It’s a traditional deep fried pastry (like a jelly doughnut, but heavier) that’s filled with either a jelly, custard, chocolate or prune filling. You can find out more about Paczki Day by clicking here (Wikipedia), here (Detroit Free Press), here (The Detroit News), here, here, here, here (WARNING- popups!), and here. I even found you a recipe for them. Oh, and don’t forget the Paczki Pals for the kids.

This morning, I went out at 3AM to the New Palace Bakery to pick up the paczki for work. It was already busy, and it looks like Hamtramck, Michigan, will become ‘Marti Gras North’.

We’ve got to get all of that fattening food out of our cabinets today. Why? For all of the Catholics out there, tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. Time to get your prayer on… but for today, WE EAT!